New Mayors, Votes on Marijuana & Alcohol

Tuesday marked a busy Election Day around Alaska, with voters choosing new mayors in Fairbanks, Juneau and possibly the Mat-Su, banning marijuana businesses in Palmer and favoring a pot tax in Bethel.

Voters in the city and borough of Juneau overwhelmingly chose a new mayor Tuesday, with challenger Greg Fisk winning twice as many votes as incumbent Merrill Sanford.

“I’m a little overwhelmed. I really thought it was going to be closer, a lot closer,” Fisk told KTOO. “I think it’s really a reflection of the fact — not so much a reflection on me as, you know, the fact that Merrill, he could have run a lot harder and made it a lot closer.”

The Western Alaska hub city voted in for a proposition to raise the alcohol tax to 12 percent alcohol tax and to establish a 15 percent marijuana retail tax. Both proposals were winning by wide margins, according to unofficial results. Voters favored the idea of a liquor store (57 percent yes) but not a bar (61 percent no).